Falcons vs. Broncos Week 2 Preview

The new Falcons offense was clicking on all cylinders as it helped the visitors to a 40-27 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City. Matt Ryan and company next host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

Ryan tore through the Chiefs defense in Week 1, tossing three touchdown passes to go along with 299 yards and an impressive QB rating of 136.4

The running game didn’t really get going, as Michael Turner stuttered his way to 32 yards on 11 carries.

However, it was all about the air attack on Sunday. Ryan linked up beautifully with Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez all day.

Jones, fresh off a killer rookie season, picked up right where he left off with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdown grabs. He was targeted a team-high nine times. White added six receptions for 87 yards and Gonzalez had five catches for 53 yards and a score.

The Falcons defense did relatively well too, gathering two interceptions and one fumble recovery. They allowed a last-second touchdown run by the Chiefs which inflated the score a little bit and made their defensive performance look worse than it really was.

That said, Atlanta looked incredibly dangerous in their opener and may be worth a closer look this Monday against Denver.

The NFL odds are in Atlanta Falcons favor, but not by much. Currently the Falcons are favored by 3.5 points at most of the sportsbooks, but obviously there’s still a whole week left, leaving the door open for more line movement.

Peyton Manning looked sharp, but he doesn’t have nearly as many top-tier weapons like Ryan does. The Broncos defense is going to have a hard time containing Jones, White and Gonzalez on Monday night.

Will that result in a Falcons victory on MNF? The odds are looking good.